In recent months, Jennifer Aniston has been on a very serious press tour for Cake, which goes into wide release tomorrow and failed to net her an Oscar nomination. But just a few years ago, she was in a decidedly more chill mood and gave an under-the-radar interview that was a truly delightful incongruity in a world of talking points and message control. Let us revisit this weirdly honest moment in publicity history.
In early 2011, Aniston was the female lead in the justifiably forgotten Adam Sandler comedy Just Go With It. As part of the film’s promotional push, Sandler and Aniston dropped by the set of Moviefone’s low-budget online interview show Unscripted, in which two stars simply sit and read each other questions submitted by fans. Neither Sandler nor Aniston seemed particularly excited by the notion of talking about the movie, so they mostly used the time to bullshit with each other and do goofy voices.
But the real joy here is Aniston’s … state. She’s a little off, and while we won’t speculate on the reason, it’s amazing to watch her be in a different zone. Highlights include: Aniston’s unexplained 30-second imitation of what I think is supposed to be her Greek grandmother (“Yianni-fer, why you do this to me?â€); Aniston trying to list five reasons to see Just Go With It and saying “it’s romantic†two nonconsecutive times; Aniston squinting and struggling to read one of the fan questions; and Aniston’s tendency to fall into uncontrollable giggling throughout.
When you’re done with the main video, I urge you to watch the best part of the interview: the following bonus clip, in which Aniston tells us she knew how ill-conceived Just Go With It was, but, because she’s classy and a good friend (and willing to get some quick cash), she just went with it.